Review: Seasick

Seasick by Kristin Cast
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Naya and Yana used to be best friends, but that ended a long time ago.  They are thrown back together when both are accepted into a special group for Yatesville High’s best graduates.  There are many perks to being in this group; the first is a trip to Bermuda.  Everyone had to turn in their phones before joining the group on the yacht and that becomes a huge issue when one of their classmates is murdered and the crew is drugged unconscious.  Now they are stuck at sea, with no way to get help, and they must trust each other enough to find out who the murderer is and (hopefully) survive themselves.  Who can they trust?

Seasick is a psychological thriller that starts with blood everywhere and then the story backs up to the beginning.  Once the book takes off, it is all character development until the one-third mark when the first murder takes place.  I felt this book took too long for the mystery to get going.  As the storyline progressed, everything fell apart, and the overall plot felt forced.  Not recommended for true mystery fans.

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Review: Icon and Inferno

Icon and Inferno by Marie Lu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Winter has not been able to stop thinking about Sydney for the past year.  He may be a superstar, but that feeling is nothing like when he went undercover to take down one of London’s bad guys.  Now that rumors are flying about a tell-all book, Winter would like nothing more than to get away into Sydney’s secret world.  His wishes come true when Sydney and Winter are paired up for an extraction mission; an assassination goes wrong and now they are on the run.  Who is undermining their mission? 

Icon and Inferno is the second book in the Stars and Smoke series.  Currently, this romantic adventure is listed with only two books, but the “log” at the end of the book leaves these characters open for more adventures and maybe a little more romance.  Although it had been over a year since I read the first book, I was easily able to jump into this story without feeling confused at all.  The adventures felt natural and the book had a can’t-put-down feel the entire time.  I will read the next book … if it is ever written.  

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Review: The Queen of Poisons

The Queen of Poisons by Robert Thorogood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Mayor of Marlow dies during a town council meeting and traces of aconite are found in his coffee.  Aconite is known as the queen of poisons because of its toxicity.  Before Judith, Suzie, and Becks can meddle too far, they are brought in as civilian advisors to the police and the trio begin to investigate, even if they don’t follow normal police procedures.  This case appears to be more complicated than at first glance and the Marlow Murder Club must pull out all the stops to find the killer.  Who would want to kill the mayor?  Is anyone else on the murderer’s radar?

The Queen of Poisons is the third book in The Marlow Murder Club series.  These characters are so much fun to read about and even though it had been months since I read the second book, I was easily able to remember the quirks of each of these ladies and jump full tilt into this new mystery.  Thorogood has created a town with characters that most readers can relate to and another story that was hard to put down.  Although this could be read and enjoyed on its own, readers will have more fun if they read the books in order.

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Review: Storm: Dawn of a Goddess

Storm: Dawn of a Goddess by Tiffany D. Jackson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ororo has been living on the streets of Cairo for years.  Ever since she survived the plane crash that killed her parents, she has been keeping her white hair covered and her blue eyes down.  Fortunately, she is good at what she does … taking things from tourists.  Her skill as a pickpocket isn’t her only feature, though.  Sometimes, if she is upset, sudden storms appear around her.  Her life may not be perfect, but it is hers until the Shadow King locates her and she must run and discover where her powers come from.  Will Ororo learn to control her powers?  What truths will she discover about her people?

Storm: Dawn of a Goddess is a stand-alone fantasy adventure story for fans of the Marvel Universe and even those who know nothing about it.  This origin story has many cameo appearances from beloved Marvel characters and the adventure that Ororo is subject to was exhilarating.  I found myself finding time to get back to the book quickly so that I could see how it would unfold.  Jackson hit the book out of the ballpark with this story and this updated world has more stories available if she wants to continue.

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